PAS should decide whether it’s backing Muafakat Nasional or Perikatan Nasional, said Amanah deputy president Salahuddin Ayub today.

“What does PAS want? Does it want Muafakat or Perikatan? The party should state its position clearly,” said the Pulai MP in Parliament, in responding to an Utusan Malaysia article featuring PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang today.

Hadi told the Malay daily that Muafakat was capable of winning GE15 if there were straight fights.

“We have a better chance of winning if there are straight fights. We must stress this,” said Hadi.

He also reminded his partners in Umno not to betray Muafakat after the elections, following the removal of Pakatan Harapan from the seat of government when former PKR deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali led a group of rebel MPs and Bersatu out of the coalition.

“Whether it’s PAS that wins more seats or Umno that wins more seats, we must not betray one another. Bersatu also should not be left behind,” said Hadi.

The Marang MP said that the issue of seat allocations between the three parties should be resolved by a matter of strategy by the leaders and not the grassroots members.

Commenting on the matter, Salahuddin said it was for PAS, Umno and Bersatu to decide on whether to have straight fights.

“That’s their responsibility but it looks like there will be multi-party fights everywhere,” said the former PAS leader.

Last week, Umno president Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi dropped a bombshell when he announced that the party will not be part of Perikatan (when facing GE15) despite supporting the government of the day.

The Bagan Datuk MP said that Umno will only focus on Muafakat and not Perikatan.

Umno and PAS formed Muafakat in 2019 to galvanise the Malay vote after the Umno-led Barisan Nasional coalition was defeated at GE14 in 2018. – August 3, 2020.